« Some Compelling People From My Trips | Home | Snake Bite! … in a Suitcase »
6 Reasons for Delayed or Denied Healing
By Ken Horn | March 30, 2008
My article on “Divine Healing Fanatics” dealt primarily with suffering and treatable conditions. (Read it here.) But it raises a related issue. Here are my thoughts from a Vantage Point column of several years ago:
When God Doesn’t Heal
God still heals. Absolutely. Positively. I’ve seen it too often to believe anything else.
I used to take ministry trips to Mexico. Once, several of us were praying for people in a tiny village church. It was packed to overflowing. I stood behind a woman in her 60s. Suddenly she became excited and animated, shouting, laughing, and crying. The reason? She had been deaf for years—and suddenly she could hear.
My wife and I stood in a hospital corridor in the middle of the night. A church member had had a severe accident. None of us doubted the doctor’s diagnosis—a badly broken leg. It was bent abnormally and terribly swollen. As we waited for an x-ray tech to arrive, Peggy and I anointed him with oil and prayed. Then, before our eyes, we saw the leg straighten and the swelling decrease. The negative x-rays left the doctor perplexed, wondering if he’d still been half asleep when he made his first diagnosis.
I’ve seen—and heard of—many others. But what about those who aren’t healed? Is there something wrong with them? I have seen much damage done to people with illnesses or handicaps, by people who told them that it was their own fault they hadn’t been healed. They had sin in their lives—or not enough faith—or God would heal them. Unfortunately, that is far too common.
Why are so many Christians not healed? Though sin and lack of faith are possibilities, there are other reasons, such as:
•Time factor: Healing is awaiting the right conditions to give glory to God (see John 9:1-3).
•Lesson to learn: Affliction can be a tool in God’s hand (Psalm 119:67,71,75). In this case we do well to learn our lessons fast (Hebrews 12:11).
•Lack of common sense: I once prayed for a man in CCU who had had a severe heart attack and wasn’t expected to live. God touched him and his life returned to normal. But he didn’t quit smoking as his doctors told him he must. Two years later he suffered a massive attack and I did his funeral. Some people are praying for healing when what they need is wisdom. For these, God doesn’t just want to eliminate a symptom, He wants to change a lifestyle.
•Lack of pressing in and praying through. This is the responsibility of those who love the one who is sick (Galatians 6:2).
Certainly, there are times when it is not God’s will to heal (see 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul’s thorn in flesh). But the picture painted in Scripture is of a God who desires to heal far more than we see today. We seem to be living far below our privileges.
As a rule, the church does need more faith. We should see more healings. But when confronted with the reality of godly people who are not healed, there must be a balance between believing the promises of God and trusting the sovereignty of God.
Promise: “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (I John 5:14, NKJV). Sovereignty : “You ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that’ ” (James 4:15).
I personally believe you should pray for healing again and again. Our job is to be obedient in praying the prayer of faith—then trust God. If we spent as much time praying for healing as we do talking about why people aren’t healed, I’m convinced we’d see more healing.
Topics: prayer, Christian living |
